Worried about ALS

[heythere123]

Hello I'm a 20 year old male and for about 8 months now i have been having strange symptoms that keep worrying me more and more it started with widespread twitching and shortness of breath after me having bad sideeffects on medication which i have gotten used to by now but recently i have been feeling like my speech has been affected by something for like 2 months now I sometimes find it hard to pronounce certain words and i also saw yesterday night that i had tongue fasiculations i also feel like i cant sing along songs anymore as well because i run out of breath trying to sing along which i could still do before while experiencing shortness of breath and what worries me the most is that I cant change my voice anymore like if i would try to put on a weird voice as a joke it just doesnt work and it feels really tight in my throat while i try do so. I used to be able to do alot of voices from my throat but i have just lost control of that and I wonder if this could be due to ALS i also have to mention that im a anxious person and i really do hope its caused by that but i really dont think this would affect the things i can do with my voice. I'm also not sure if ALS causes this but I'm worried it might be. I also notice that the way i burp has changed which might sound weird i dont really know how to explain it and i need to clear my throat really often also if i laugh it just feels different.

 

[heythere123]

forgot to add that I have been to a neurologist 1 and a half month ago who tested my reflexes and heard me about about my symptoms at the time and she wasnt worried at all but now that i feel like i'm losing control of my voice i'm starting to worry alot again regardless of what she said

 

[KarenNWendyn]

Hey there, heythere. Please read this if you have not already done so: Important - READ BEFORE POSTING! Answers to common concerns about possible symptoms!

Since the neurologist cleared you 1 1/2 months ago, that’s a pretty good indication they weren’t concerned about your symptoms. If you’re concerned about your voice, your next step might be an ENT specialist. You could have reflux. There could be some other reason for your voice changes, but ALS doesn’t cause a person’s throat to feel tight or cause the symptoms you describe.

Twitching is common, nonspecific, and meaningless in the absence of muscle function failure. Tongue twitching can be completely benign.

I don’t see ALS in your post, and that’s a good thing.

 

[Vincent]

Are you familiar with punctuation? It really helps!

 

[lgelb]

A general reminder: while stream-of-consciousness typing can be hard to parse, let's not make it personal.

HT, allergies, anxiety and reflux are the leading contender as causes for your feelings, but ALS isn't on the list.

Best,
Laurie